Elections board oppose possible move to paper ballots

Wednesday

Jul 10, 2013 at 4:56 PM

Board of Elections members expressed their opposition Wednesday to a bill in the General Assembly that would require the use of paper ballots in all North Carolina elections, a move that could cost Henderson County half a million dollars to implement.

By Nathaniel AxtellTimes-News Staff Writer

Board of Elections members expressed their opposition Wednesday to a bill in the General Assembly that would require the use of paper ballots in all North Carolina elections, a move that could cost Henderson County half a million dollars to implement.“I’m just amazed by this,” said board member Bob Heltman. “I’m perplexed. (It) sounds foolish as hell to me.”“I don’t think we need to be stepping back in time,” agreed Chairman Tom Wilson, referring to the days when illegibly marked paper ballots had to be hand-examined by elections officials, slowing returns. House Bill 607, sponsored by Reps. Bert Jones (R-Rockingham) and Justin Barr (R-Albemarle), would require that all state boards of elections tally paper ballots using optical scanners and would prohibit the use of touch screen voting systems currently used by Henderson and 35 other counties.A June 7 analysis by the N.C. Fiscal Research Division of the bill’s cost to localities found the net impact to election boards across the state would be $10.91 million in the fiscal year that began July 1, including nearly $6 million to replace the touch screen machines with optical scanners.“In a big election, it’ll cost about $25,000 just for the paper ballots,” said Henderson County Director of Elections Beverly Cunningham. She told the board the cost of buying optical scanners, special machines for the visually impaired and private voting booths will cost the county around $500,000.None of the 36 counties currently using touch screen machines have private voting booths to allow ballot marking, Cunningham said. The booths average $150 each.Wilson said the touch screen system used by Henderson County has been proven to be efficient and accurate. By comparison, if someone makes a mistake on a paper ballot and crosses it out, he said, optical readers often won’t be able to read it.“So they have to be examined by hand,” he said. “That’s a time-consuming process.”The bill proposing paper ballot exclusivity passed the House on its first reading and was referred to the Committee on Elections.

Municipal elections

If two more people file to run for at-large seats on Hendersonville City Council, Cunningham told the board, they will have to hold a city primary. Currently, Ralph Freeman, Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Collis and Diane Caldwell have filed for election in the race. But Councilman Jerry Smith, who is out of the country, has indicated he plans to run for re-election. The deadline for municipal election filings is noon on Friday, July 19.“(Smith) would be the fourth,” Cunningham said. “We have heard of a fifth candidate possibly filing and so if that fifth candidate does file, we’d have a primary in the city of Hendersonville.”She added there is also the possibility of a primary in Flat Rock and Fletcher. Currently, Sheryl Jamerson has filed for the District 1 seat being vacated by retiring Flat Rock Village Councilman Ron Davis; Anne Coletta has filed for the District 2 seat now held by retiring Councilman Dave Bucher; and Albert Gooch Jr. is running for the District 3 position now held by Councilman Jim Wert, who is serving his last term.In Fletcher, Councilwoman Sheila Franklin, Mayor Pro Tem Eddie Henderson and Mayor Bill Moore have filed for re-election. It was the last Board of Elections meeting for Secretary Betty Gash, whose term was not renewed by the newly GOP-controlled State Board of Elections. Wilson commended Gash for her 14 years of service and election staffers joined the board for a reception in her honor, featuring cake and refreshments. Reach Axtell at 828-694-7860 or than.axtell@blueridgenow.com.